


In Every Universe

by freshtilapia



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-22 22:06:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9627431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freshtilapia/pseuds/freshtilapia
Summary: Post-apocalypse and inspired by a Bertha who said that newly-turned human Carmilla "would have an immune system of a toddler's" and "die of an infection."After Carmilla dies unexpectedly, a distraught Laura receives help from the gods and goes on a mission to make sure that they meet and fall in love in every universe.(The mission is not at all part of what the gods have planned but they let her do it anyway.)





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

_It wasn’t supposed to be like this._

The words echoed through Laura’s mind in between sobs.

_It wasn’t supposed to be like this…_

_She was supposed to—she was supposed to… live._

Laura closed her eyes as another teardrop fell.

She was supposed to run away—as far away as possible from it all—and had said her goodbyes to her dad and some of her friends but she just found herself back in the Silas University Library, curled up in the tub chair, sobbing-hiccupping every other second and exhaling loudly in between.

It’s been a few days since Carmilla had died in her arms and Laura had been inconsolable.

_It’s all my fault_ , she thought.

She had dragged Carmilla from town to town post-cancelled-apocalypse to help out where they could and they had already spent five nights in the fourth town, sharing a cot in a makeshift tent, when Carmilla woke up delirious with fever. In a few hours, Carmilla suffered through multiple cardiac arrests and didn’t make it to the nearest fully-functional hospital.

Laura was hysterical. She couldn’t believe she got her heart ripped out and lived to tell the tale only for Carmilla to die of meningitis a few weeks later.

She cried out to Mattie, then to Erishkigal, but was only met with silence.

So she gave in to her grief and ran. Her feet brought her to the library. And her tears hadn’t stopped falling.

This wasn’t how their story ended, was it?

They’ve lived and died and lived again. Surely, there must be some… other—

Laura sat up, eyes wide and puffy, gazed at the ceiling, and took a deep breath.

“Inanna?”

She steeled herself.

“Uh, Dean?”

Then she felt stupid.

“Please, Inanna,” she pleaded a little louder. “Can you hear me?”

To her surprise, a disembodied voice replied, “Why have you called me, child?”

Laura gulped back her fear. Inanna’s voice was beautiful and terrifying all at once.

“Will you—can you help me?” Laura’s voice cracked. “Just—bring her back to me please?”

A beat and then…

“When you died,” Inanna began, her tone akin to kindness, “Carmilla also demanded that I bring you back…”

Laura deflated, “But you didn’t.”

“She belongs to my sister now. I cannot return _her_ to you…”

Laura was sure the tears would come back soon.

“…but…”

She perked up.

“…there are others…”

“Others? Others who can help me?”

Inanna hummed, amused, “That too.”

“But,” Laura frowned. “What kind of help? And from whom?”

“I will grant you this boon, child,” Inanna said.

“You will?”

“Of course.”

“But why? And what do I have to do in exchange for this—this boon?”

“Oh, miracle girl… you have already done enough and more… but you must remember this,” Inanna emphasized, “don’t be as I was… bitter and twisted with loss… don’t be as I was and you will find your way… as you always have…”

Laura fought back the tears by taking a deep breath and shaking her head. “I know I promised not too long ago but—not be bitter and twisted, sure, that’s a—that’s a piece of cake! And you know what they say about cake.”

“Indeed,” Inanna replied, dismissive. “In the meantime, it might be best for you to resume that little arts and crafts thing you had going on.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Your deep concentration might be enough to summon that goat-fish Enki. I’d really rather not sift through all the rivers and oceans to hunt him down.”

And with that, Inanna was gone, leaving Laura so nonplussed that she didn’t even notice the tears had stopped falling.

 

***

 

Laura stirred to the sound of splashing and general watery noises.

She had fallen asleep with her head on one arm and her other arm stretched across the desk after willing herself out of the tub chair, remembering Inanna's parting words about choosing a new handicraft, and ending up sitting on the stool by the desk, caressing the surface as if Carmilla was still beside her sleeping.

Her eyes were fluttering open when she heard the rumbling.

She sat up slowly then looked around. The lights flickered.

"Library?"

She got another rumble in reply and her eyes lit up.

"You’re back! Will you be the one to help me?"

She heard a ding then a cupcake appeared. She almost smiled.

"And you'll find a way to bring Carmilla back?"

The cupcake vanished.

“Wait! Okay, okay, not bringing Carmilla back, just,” she gestured vaguely with her hands, “oh, I don’t know, furthering my education and—and Peggy Carter-ing my way, amidst loss and grief, through—through life that somehow, maybe, hopefully, will still have something to do with… Carmilla?”

Ding, ding, ding! The cupcake reappeared.

And Laura quickly grabbed it, unwrapped it, and gobbled it up like she hadn’t eaten for days.

She probably hadn’t.

She licked the caramel filling that oozed out of the cupcake off her thumb then remembered why she was eating it in the first place.

“Uh, so… now what?”

The splashing and general watery sounds grew louder.

Laura turned to her left and noticed that the magical door was wide open, emitting that blue light she had come to know so well.

“I… bathe?”

The rumbling turned to mocking.

“I do not smell,” she protested as she smelled her armpits. “Okay, fine, maybe I smell. A little…”

The Library laughed.

Laura grudgingly got up and stomped her way to the door, “I did not forget about hygiene when the world was about to end, you know.”

The Library was still laughing when Laura noticed the set of clothes on the tub chair.

She paused before picking them up then turned towards the ceiling.

“Thank you…”

The laughter stopped. Then the light beyond the door glowed even brighter and became just a little bit more inviting before Laura stepped in.

 

***

 

This had to be the most refreshing bath Laura ever took.

The moment she lowered her body in the pool, she felt as if her tears and sorrow ebbed away with the water…

It was probably magical.

Laura no longer doubted such things.

 

***

 

Putting on the clothes The Library prepared for her felt like slipping into a new life.

They were nothing out of the ordinary, really, just a pair of flip flops, black yoga pants, white v-neck t-shirt, and red flannel, but they made Laura feel different—different enough that she left the red flannel unbuttoned when she buttoned up everything before. And she didn’t even stop to wonder why.

Her bath may have prevented her not only from thinking too much but from thinking at all. So without any thought, she opened the magical door back to The Library and was instantly blinded by a bright light as she stepped forward.

She had to blink several times before her eyes adjusted and—

“Oh, my, Great Hall of Hogwarts…”

Laura was in the most magnificent library she had ever seen.

And what a sight it was—a great big hall the size of a football field with bookshelves lined up along its limestone walls and more than a dozen chandeliers hanging above row upon row of long tables in the middle, all gleaming with sunbeams bursting through large arched windows.

Laura looked up from the mezzanine where she stood and thought the 50-foot-tall ceiling may as well have been enchanted with its ginormous murals of billowing clouds in ornately-carved wooden frames.

Her mouth was still hanging open when she remembered to turn around.

Gone were the magical baths and their blue light. In their place was a closet… for office supplies.

“Okay, Laura,” she muttered to herself, “I have a feeling we’re not in Styria anymore.”

 

***

 

She wandered aimlessly for quite a while… until she found the way out of the building and was surprised that the library’s façade wasn’t as grand as it was on the inside, just… old… with its tall pillars and porticos and a mere 29 steps down to the bustling sidewalk on a very busy street.

Laura didn’t see the building name but didn’t fail to notice the two curious-looking statues guarding its entrance—a pair of sculpted marble with their front half that of a goat and the rest a fish.

_The owner is probably either highly into zodiac signs or a big constellations nerd_ , she mused, with a smile beginning to form on her lips. But then she also remembered the one constellations nerd she loved.

_Carm…_

Laura suddenly felt like she got doused in ice-cold water.

Her head darted right to left.

_Ohh, tricksy pagan gods, where am I? And what the hell am I doing here?_

She buried her face in her hands and willed herself not to start crying again.

_The Library brought me here, wherever_ here _is, so there must be something—I’m supposed to do something, right?_

She sighed.

_Can I still hate all these stupid gods, with their stupid games and their stupid rules?_

She probably could but she also knew that she shouldn’t complain because she was getting a boon, whatever that entailed, and she definitely wasn’t going to give up before even trying something—anything—to get Carmilla back.

The best course of action, she decided, would be to play it safe, which meant that she could probably walk along the building’s periphery and see if she’d stumble upon something then.

She nodded to herself with _the face_ —that determined look on her face—and walked to the left, simply because that side was prettier and more people poured in from that direction.

She was in a big metropolis for sure.

The roads and tall buildings stretched out as far as her eyes could see and Laura was amazed to see so many people of different colors in one place.

She reached the corner, looked up at the street signs, and learned that she was on Fifth, about to turn left to 42nd St W.

The library looked even bigger from the outside. It just went on and on; Laura thought it occupied the whole block until she saw a park behind it that was just as big, with a lot of trees and a lot of open space.

It was nice.

Laura got tempted to go there but… nah… she deemed it would be more prudent to check out the whole block first before strolling inside the park.

She was close to the next corner when she noticed people going down a flight of stairs that went underground.

_Must be for the subway,_ she thought. And curiosity got the better of her.

She made a beeline for it but stopped dead in her tracks as soon as a woman in all black climbed out of those stairs and looked up.

“Carm,” Laura gasped.

Carmilla smirked after seeing her and sashayed towards her… it seemed… in slow motion…

Laura stood rooted to her spot, eyes watering and smiling so brightly that Carmilla couldn’t help but reciprocate.

“Hey, cutie,” Carmilla said, within arm’s reach.

And Laura immediately flung her arms around Carmilla’s neck and buried her face there and held her so tightly that Carmilla was slightly taken aback.

“Cupcake, what’s got into you?” Carmilla asked as she wrapped her arms around Laura and held her just as tight. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” Laura answered feebly, her eyes closed and her body pressed even closer to Carmilla’s if that was possible.

And they just stood there for a while, holding each other, with Carmilla caressing Laura’s back and Laura clinging to her for dear life… until Laura pulled away, enough to meet Carmilla’s gaze and stroke her hair away from her face.

“I’ve missed you,” Laura whispered.

Carmilla smiled, “It’s only been a couple of hours, love.”

“Not for me,” Laura said, voice cracking again.

And before she could see Carmilla’s expression change, she leaned her forehead against Carmilla’s and drew a deep, shuddering breath.

Another breath and the shuddering turned to quivering as Carmilla tilted her head down and captured Laura’s lips in a slow and tender kiss… which didn’t stay slow or tender for long.

The moment their lips parted for the first time, Laura grabbed Carmilla by the neck again and kissed her deeply, fiercely, hungrily, with tongue and hair-grabs and nibbles and every inch of Laura’s body throbbing with yearning.

They pulled apart a second time but only far enough to breathe, their lips still touching and mouths still open, before they kissed again.

And again.

And again…

They separated a third time, chests heaving, when Carmilla teased, “Show me how much you’ve missed me at home, why don’t you?”

Laura bit her lower lip, shaking her head and giggling, when she heard a girl’s voice behind her yelling—

“Carm?!”

Laura froze. That wasn’t her but that was unequivocally her voice.

Carmilla gawked at her then at the girl behind her, looking utterly perplexed, “Laura??”

_Eeep!_

“What in frilly hell is going on?”

Laura made a dash for the park but was still close enough to hear the other Laura asking, “Who the hell were you kissing?!”

_Crap! I’m sorry!!!_ was all Laura thought as she sprinted through newsstands and food carts and food stalls and doggies and benches and joggers and then whizzed across the open field, zigzagged through parked cars and construction signs, and scampered back to the main entrance of the library.

 

***

 

It didn’t take long before she got back to the great hall.

She rushed to the mezzanine and chastised herself. _Ugh, why didn’t I think of counting which door I came from??_

She marched to the door right at the center and opened it— _That’s not it._

Next door to the left— _Nope!_

Second door to the left— _Oh, thank office supplies—_ she heaved a sigh, slipped inside, closed the door, and immediately broke down into sobs as she slumped to the floor with her back against the door.

The first thing she tried to process was her guilt—

_I can’t believe I made Carmilla cheat on me with me!_

_How the hell was I supposed to—to realize there was another Laura?_

_Oh, God, I hope I didn’t ruin anything permanently between those two… that they’ll work things out…_

_If only I had one of those neuralyzer thingies—where’s Agent K when you need him?_

—then her needs—

_But that kiss though… ugh, NO._

_I’m sorry, I miss her. I miss her. I miss her. I miss her so much…_

_I’d do anything…_

—then her purpose.

_What am I supposed to do?_

Laura drew her knees closer to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.

_Why did The Library bring me here? Was I supposed to just watch them or—or learn that in some other universe, another version of us were still very much alive and happy and in love? Because that is so not comforting!_

She groaned as she closed her eyes and let her forehead fall onto her knees.

_Because in my version—_

She grew still.

_My version… There are others…_

Her head snapped up, “Lib—”

Then her eyes grew wide.

She was in a totally different room.

 

***

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I think I know what I should do!”

 

 

Laura scrambled to get up. The office supply closet had turned into a roomful of books.

“Library?” She called out. “Hello?”

But there were no rumblings or shakings or flickering lights. There were only books—leather bound, hardbound, with and without dust covers, paperbacks, lined up on shelves against the walls or piled up high on the floor—in pristine, albeit dusty, condition.

“What would you have me do?” She grumbled pointlessly to the sentient being that wasn’t there. “What would Hermione do?” She sniffled. “Not go after a lost love, that’s what…”

She started traipsing around the room, glancing at the books as she passed by, still sniffling, and pouting. But the more book titles she noticed, the more she was astonished.

 _Road Trips to the Emerald City_ by L. Frank Baum… _Tarzan on the Moon_ by Edgar Rice Burroughs… _Alice and the Red King_ by Lewis Caroll… _The Passing of Sherlock Holmes_ by Arthur Conan Doyle…

If all of those sounded just a little bit sketchy to Laura, so did several books on the shelf by Stephen King: _The Hotel at the End of the Road_ , _I’ve Got to Get Away_ , _The Other Side of the Fog_ , _The Stranger_ …

 _There’s no_ Carrie _? Or_ Misery _or_ The Shining _or_ It _or 50-plus other books?_ She wondered.

Next to what could be a First Edition _To Kill a Mockingbird_ was _The Long Goodbye_ by Harper Lee…

_That’s not the title of the sequel right?_

There were three books by Chuck Palahniuk: _Insomnia: If You Lived Here You’d Be Home Already_ , _Crash_ , and _Echo_ … and three books by Edith Wharton: _Literature_ , _Disintegration_ , and _Beatrice Palmato_.

_Okay, not ringing any bells…_

But then—

_Holy mother of dragons!_

—there were crisp copies of George R. R. Martin’s _The Winds of Winter_ and _A Dream of Spring_.

_These are incredible!_

Laura grabbed those and turned towards the door when she noticed a closed, thick book on a lectern by the corner and moved towards it instead.

 _The Book of Answers_ , it said on the cover.

She clutched the _Song of Ice and Fire_ books to her chest with her left hand, opened _The Book of Answers_ with her right, and started leafing through its pages.

It was blank.

“Some book of answers you are,” she gibed.

And suddenly, the words _Excuse me_ appeared on the open page in old script. Laura sprang away from it but she was still close enough to see that new words had appeared.

Naturally, she tiptoed back.

 _I am not some book of answers_ , it said. _I am_ THE Book of Answers _._

Laura had a feeling that if it could harrumph, it would. “Sure, Tom Riddle, keep telling yourself that.”

 _I am not He-who-must-not-be-named_ , it answered.

And Laura’s jaw dropped.

 _I am_ —

“Nope,” she slammed the book shut and walked away, “not about to be possessed like Ginny Weasley.”

But every step she took away from the book seemed to strengthen that nagging thought at the back of her mind. What if it really was _The_ Book of Answers?

Laura needed answers, didn’t she?

And she had done so much worse than risk getting herself possessed, not to mention that she _had_ already been possessed.

And contrary to what she said before, The Library was actually big on consistency and proved to be very helpful, even though its idea of helping had always been… odd? …unexpected? …whimsical? In any case, The Library had never really exposed her to mortal danger—well, not really _never_ as in _not ever_. The Library did set them up for an Indiana-Jones-level death trap to get an ancient book that one time; she couldn’t deny that. But what could be so bad about talking to a highly conversant and chatty thick book?

Was she playing directly into Inanna’s plans again? If she was, then that would mean everything she had done so far and everything she was likely to do were directly related to her boon. And that would be a good thing right?

What did Inanna plan anyway?

Laura strode towards the lectern again then opened the book with care.

“Why am I here?” She asked without preamble.

 _To see Carmilla_ , it answered.

“That’s it?”

 _Yes_.

Laura grew more flustered by the second, “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

 _I am_ The Book of Answers, it said.

“Yes, but not The Book of _Truthful_ Answers,” Laura countered. “Do you even know who I am?”

 _You are Laura Eileen Hollis_.

Laura looked stunned for a second. “Okay, well, is there—is there another Laura in this place?”

 _Not yet_ , it replied.

“What do you mean _not yet_?”

 _She is not yet here_.

“But she will be soon?”

 _Yes_.

“And is she with Carmilla? Are they together?”

 _No and no_.

“Do they know each other?”

_No._

“They haven’t even met?”

 _Yes, they have not even met_.

 _Oh_. Laura wasn’t sure if that was a good sign. “But is Carmilla here?”

 _Yes_.

“Of course she is.”

 _That is not a question_ , it said.

“Gee, thanks for pointing that out. Where am I anyway?”

 _In Bruxelles_ , it said.

 _Oh, good. I’m still in Europe…_ But then _—_ “In,” she hesitated, “which planet?”

 _Gaea_.

 _Oh, boy_. “I’m on another planet?!”

 _Well_ , _technically, you are in a parallel universe where Earth is called Gaea but there is no need to shout_.

 

***

 

Several minutes later, after she had taken a good look around this new place she was zapped into, Laura finally found a perfectly suitable desk to carry out her signature face-plant on.

 

***

 

She fell asleep on page 10 of _The Winds of Winter_.

Not that the first chapter wasn’t gripping, Laura was just really exhausted and there was a bed across the desk in the room upstairs.

The bed had no covers or pillows but after Laura fulfilled her urge to face-plant on a desk, she moved to the bed and cried and stopped and decided that reading would help distract her for a while.

She sat on the bed, with her back against the headboard and her legs stretched, started reading, and got to page 9 when her eyelids began to droop. She managed to turn the book to page 10 before her head flopped, her shoulders sagged, and her body collapsed sideways down the bed, eventually squashing the book underneath her in her sleep.

A few hours later, she dreamt of Carmilla.

Like most dreams, Laura couldn’t make sense of what was happening in it until she tried reaching out to Carmilla when, suddenly, she jerked wide awake.

Then she realized, all too painfully, that she was alone in the dark.

 

***

 

Laura cried a good deal before she groped around for the bedside lamp, got up, and went to the bathroom that was just outside the bedroom.

She washed her face, thanked the gods for warm water, and took a deep, calming breath before heading out, turning on the light above the stairs, and going down, back to the room full of books, whose door was at the bottom of the stairs to the right.

She discovered earlier that it was the storage room for the book shop up front.

The lights were on in the storage room when she got there and she immediately noticed a set of clothes, a cross body bag, and a small basket filled with toiletries that weren’t there before. She rushed towards _The Book of Answers_.

“Those clothes are for me right?” She asked.

 _Yes, they are_ , it said. _Unfortunately, they don’t fit me very well_.

“Ha, ha, very funny,” Laura said. “What is The Library setting me up for this time?”

 _A good shower_ _and a nice dinner_ , it said.

“What is it with The Library and its fixation on my hygiene?”

 _Well, if you must know, Miss Hollis_ —

“Okay, don’t answer that.”

 

***

 

Although she grumbled for no good reason, Laura still took a shower and put on the clothes that The Library had once again prepared for her—clothes that were kind of… a big departure… from what Laura was used to wearing.

She was dressed in all black—a sheer, black crop top and a pleated, black midi skirt, with black underwear and a pair of black, strappy heels.

Her small, cross body bag was black, too. And she almost fell off the bed when she sat down, opened it to see what was inside, and found a lot of money in it—a thick bundle of paper bills that looked funny that she really, really hoped were real money.

The other thing inside the bag was a skeleton key. And Laura had a good hunch what it was for.

She went back downstairs and crossed the shop floor, past the counter and the display tables and the bookshelves, with the light from the stairs and the light from the small, rectangular glass window above the front door showing her the way.

The shop window had been boarded up but Laura had an idea of what the street looked like because she took a peek from a window upstairs before leaving the bedroom.

She opened the door, stepped outside, closed the door, inserted the key into the lock and turned. It worked. She checked if the door had really been locked (twice) before facing the street and welcoming the cool breeze.

 _The Book of Answers_ had recommended a restaurant on the other side of the block and informed her that she could either go clockwise or counterclockwise around the block and that clockwise would be a shorter walk but counterclockwise would be a more scenic route.

Laura decided to go for the scenic route.

She took one step away from the door and the big round decal on the shop window caught her eye, not because of the words _Librairie Intemporelle_ forming a circle, but because of the caricature in the middle.

 _Again with Capricorn?_ Laura thought. _It must mean something. It just keeps showing up. I should ask_ The Book of Answers _about it later…_

She took a good look at the storefront, committing it to memory, and then went on her way.

 

***

 

Laura had a salad.

And it was so good she was laughing-crying as she was leaving the restaurant because she hadn’t eaten anything that good in a long while.

She had forgotten what it was like to simply… enjoy something… and at the moment, she felt carefree… carefree but pathetic at the same time because she was crying over a really good salad.

Okay, maybe she was losing her mind a little bit. Or… maybe she just needed a good, dreamless sleep. She had a proper bed this time. Never mind that it didn’t have any covers or pillows. It felt a lot more snug and comfy than all the other places she managed to sleep in for the past couple of weeks.

Maybe Laura needed to drag out these moments of bliss. They had been few and far between.

She continued on her counterclockwise route since it would bring her back to the book shop faster and the street she was on was paved with cobblestones and was quite charming actually.

There were hints of a smile on her lips and tears in her eyes as she walked on and it took her a few more steps to realize that her heart was beating in time with muffled, loud music coming from a place nearby.

The music grew louder as she ambled on until she was able to locate the source: an open, well-lit, yellow double door with a sign above it that said _Bar_ on the left and _Club_ on the right with a black star in between.

She moved closer to read what was written in smaller letters above the star and it said _Clandestin_.

She felt a tug to go inside. Maybe she needed a drink.

Not that Laura had learned to drink a lot. She hardly drank beer at the handful of Silas parties she attended but she did learn to enjoy a bottle of bubbly, or two, with Carmilla.

Carmilla…

Yeah, she needed a drink. If only to forget about her loss and her current predicament for a while…

She entered the doorway, turned to the right, and went down a long flight of stairs to the basement where the loud, thumping music had been coming from.

With every step she took, her heart seemed to pound harder against her chest. She didn’t know if it was because of nerves, going into a bar/club for the first time ever, or simply because of the music.

She could see a small group of people standing at the bottom of the stairs, holding drinks in their hands, and dancing every now and then. And she was halfway down when she noticed the psychedelic lights.

She was further down when she finally had a good view of the place. It was packed—a sea of people either milling around or dancing in every available space.

There seemed to be couches lined up against the walls, too, and almost all were occupied.

Laura spotted a vacant stool at the end of the bar that was closest to the stairs and headed there.

Then she sat down and waited to get the attention of either of the two bartenders.

The one closest to her was a lady bartender, who seemed to be talking to someone from afar, who then suddenly turned to her, as if expecting her to be there or, at least, knowing that someone was sitting there, before walking over.

“Hi, what can I get for you?” The lady bartender asked Laura, with a smile.

“Hi, uhm, do you have something strong but sweet?” Laura asked.

“Of course,” she continued to smile. “Coming right up.”

“Great, thanks,” Laura smiled back.

She didn’t know what to do as she waited so she settled for being fascinated by how her drink was made.

The bartender brought out a short glass, filled it with ice cubes, brought out some sort of measuring cup, got a blue bottle, poured clear liquor into the measuring cup, poured it onto the ice in the glass, got a darker bottle and out came a much darker liquor into the measuring cup, which was then added into the glass, got a red bottle, measured, poured, grabbed a stirrer, and stirred the drink, then garnished it with a slice of orange before handing it to Laura, who reached for her bag.

“How much for the drink?” She asked.

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” the bartender said. “It’s been paid for.”

“Paid for? By whom?”

The bartender pointed somewhere to her right and as if on cue, the dancing crowd parted a little to reveal Carmilla, sitting on the couch, staring at Laura, and raising her glass in acknowledgement.

Laura gaped and timidly raised her glass in return.

They didn’t take their eyes off each other.

Laura heard the bartender chuckle and move away then saw a smirk forming slowly on Carmilla’s lips.

Laura didn’t seem to notice the dreamy smile forming slowly on her own lips…

She couldn’t help but let out a wistful sigh… Carmilla looked so good in black leather vest and shirt, with her hair down, flowing in waves, and she seemed so amused at this staring contest that her eyes seemed to twinkle more and more with each passing second.

She held Laura’s steady gaze… until the dancing crowd huddled together, hiding her once again, and the spell was broken.

 _Crap_ , Laura groaned.

She took a big gulp of her drink and it was so satisfying that she immediately took another one.

_Crap!_

She saw her. She saw Carmilla. And it was what was meant to happen like _The Book of Answers_ had said. So now what?

She drank again.

Should she up and leave? A big part of her didn’t want to.

Her eyes traveled back to where Carmilla was sitting and she waited until the crowd parted again but when they did, Carmilla was no longer there.

She sighed.

Then she finished her drink and set her glass down on the counter, looking slightly forlorn. _Ugh… stupid, sexy_ —

“Hey.”

Laura’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of Carmilla’s voice before it started hammering against her chest. She could feel how close Carmilla was standing behind her.

She tried to be as poised as she could and act all nonchalant when she turned in her seat.

“Oh, hey, it’s you,” she said, inwardly face palming at how dorky she sounded.

“Hmm,” Carmilla smirked again. “Were you expecting someone else?”

“No, no, not at all—thanks for the drink.”

“You’re welcome.” Carmilla held out her hand, “I’m Carmilla.”

“Laura,” she replied, taking Carmilla’s hand.

“Well, Laura,” Carmilla drawled—she didn’t seem to have any intentions of letting Laura’s hand go. “Care to dance?”

And Laura could only nod.

She slid off the stool and Carmilla wordlessly led her to the middle of the dance floor and held her hand just a little bit tighter.

Pretty soon, Carmilla started dancing as she sauntered into the crowd, her free hand raised up high in the air, wrist flicking to the beat of the music, and her other hand tugging Laura closer to her.

Laura caught a whiff of her perfume and longed to be even closer… But then Carmilla turned around to face Laura, their bodies inches apart, before her body grooved to the rhythm again, her gaze brazenly raking over Laura’s body, and Laura had to remind herself to breathe.

And to dance.

So she swayed from side to side, her movement in sync with Carmilla’s, looking anywhere but Carmilla’s face… until someone lightly bumped into her causing her to move closer to Carmilla and Carmilla to steady her with a hand on her hip.

Laura looked up. Their eyes locked. They smiled sheepishly then looked away for a split second before fixing their gazes at each other again as they danced.

And as they danced, Carmilla’s hand moved from Laura’s hip to the small of her back.

And as they danced, the distance between them was reduced to an inch.

And as they danced, Carmilla started mouthing the words to the song and Laura internally cursed at all the gods.

And as they danced, Laura increasingly grew bolder.

Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the song. Maybe it was how Carmilla moved or how her lips formed around the words to the song or how she breathed or how she looked at Laura. Maybe Laura simply yearned to be with Carmilla again.

She put her left arm around Carmilla’s shoulder with her left hand on Carmilla’s nape and Carmilla responded by wrapping both arms behind Laura’s back and bringing Laura flushed against her body.

And what was sexy, lively dancing gradually turned into slow dancing.

And their eyes roamed over each other’s faces, just as slowly as they were dancing, but constantly drifted back to each other’s lips.

Laura hoped the music was able to mask the sound of her heartbeat booming away loudly with a thump.

Thump-thump, thump-thump…

She put her right hand on Carmilla’s shoulder—

Thump-thump, thump-thump…

—and remembered discovering a heartbeat not too long ago.

Thump-thump, thump-thump…

Her right hand moved to the side of Carmilla’s neck.

Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump…

She cupped Carmilla’s face—

Thump-thump, thump-thump…

—and caressed Carmilla’s lips with her thumb.

Thump-thump, thump-thump…

Carmilla kissed her thumb.

Thump-thump, thump-thump…

Then Laura traded her thumb with her lips.

And they kissed…

…slowly… ardently… eyes closed… as if the world had melted away and they were the only two people who existed…

Another kiss and their mouths opened wider, making way for their tongues… meeting… sweeping over the other’s lips…

Another kiss and they couldn’t get close enough no matter how hard they tried… and they tried… they tried to pull each other closer as they kissed… and they kissed… until they left each other breathless…

Carmilla was the first to open her eyes and the way Laura’s eyes fluttered open seemed to be her undoing. She kissed Laura again, lips lingering softly, then whispered in her ear, “Want to get out of here?”

Laura just nodded again.

 

***

 

No other words were exchanged in the cab ride going to Carmilla’s apartment after Carmilla gave her address as 24 Hard-to-pronounce-and-spell Street and the driver said okay.

 

***

 

It was either a really long or a really short twelve-minute cab ride, depending on who you asked.

Carmilla paid, got out of the cab first, helped Laura get out, closed the car door, and ushered Laura to a blue door with glass panels and the number 24 on top.

Laura noted that Carmilla punched in 0-3-0-7 in the keypad of her building’s security system and almost chuckled as the blue door swung open but stopped herself because Carmilla promptly led her inside and up the stairs.

And Laura briefly thought, _Oh, God, this is really happening_ , as they reached the second door on the second floor, before Carmilla unlocked it and they walked inside.

Time seemed to slow down for Laura the moment she closed the door behind her.

She watched intently as Carmilla dropped the keys on the shelf by the door then turned to her again.

She watched intently as Carmilla reached for her, only to lock the door behind her.

She watched intently as Carmilla searched her face before staring hungrily at her lips.

She watched intently as Carmilla moved closer… and closer… until Carmilla pinned her against the door and used both hands to cup her face.

And they kissed…

And Laura tried to take in everything as they kissed… how soft Carmilla’s bottom lip still felt between her lips… how good Carmilla’s tongue still felt against her tongue… how right their bodies still felt pressed together…

They kissed and Laura felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu as her hands traveled from Carmilla’s waist to her back, underneath her vest.

They kissed with arms wound tightly around each other and deep audible breaths.

They kissed eagerly and fervently until Carmilla pulled away, with a hard-to-read expression on her face.

“What?”

“Why do you kiss me like you know me?” Carmilla asked.

And Laura’s heart sank as she loosened her hold around Carmilla.

“M-maybe because I do,” she answered. “Maybe I knew you in another life…”

“Another life,” Carmilla repeated while all Laura could think of was another night, another night, another night… She was getting this night with Carmilla and she didn’t want to waste it pondering.

Laura brought her right hand up from underneath Carmilla’s vest and played with Carmilla’s hair and the action seemed to pull Carmilla out of her reverie. She leaned in for another kiss, eyes closing then fluttering open when she pulled away.

Carmilla smirked.

And Laura kissed her again…

…softly… earnestly… as if she was memorizing everything… from the softness of Carmilla’s hair… the plumpness of her lips… the texture of her tongue… the elegance of her scent… to the warmth radiating between their bodies… and the ache between her thighs…

She kissed her heartily and zealously as she gracefully slid Carmilla’s leather vest off her shoulders and let if fall to the floor.

She kissed her fervidly and heatedly as Carmilla unzipped her top.

Then she stopped, eyes still closed and lips still parted, because Carmilla started kissing the side of her neck as she removed her top.

Laura moaned…

…and moaned some more as Carmilla kissed and licked and sucked and bit her way across her neck, all the while unzipping her skirt… which soon joined her top and Carmilla’s vest on the floor.

And as Laura stepped out of the rumpled skirt, Carmilla paused… to ogle.

Laura opened her eyes from the lack of contact, just in time to catch Carmilla’s gaze flicking back to her face, and her breath caught in her throat as their eyes locked. But Laura soon released a shaky breath the moment Carmilla ran her fingers lightly on her skin, from her collarbone…

…down the valley between her breasts… to her abs…

…across her waist—Laura gasped and grasped Carmilla’s shirt and quickly pulled it off then kissed her again more urgently, vigorously, as she worked on unbuttoning Carmilla’s leather pants while moving both of them away from the door.

A couple of steps and Laura had unzipped Carmilla’s pants, taken off her heels, unhooked both their bras then taken them off, and pressed their bodies back together.

Carmilla hummed at the contact and led them to the couch as they kissed.

And when the back of her legs hit the couch, she pulled Laura down to straddle her and went back to kissing Laura’s neck… her collarbone… her breasts…

Laura moaned again… fingers clutched at Carmilla’s hair, eyes closed, lips parted, and head thrown back in pleasure… every kiss, every lick, every bite from Carmilla seemingly chipping away at her resolve to commit every movement, every feeling to memory.

She started grinding against Carmilla uncontrollably, feverishly… And they kissed again, with their hands roaming wherever they could reach, from their backs to their sides to their breasts to her ass to their necks to their arms to their breasts to their waists to her ass to their breasts… every moan, every groan, every grunt, every hum reverberating through the room, saying more, more, more…

They wanted more. And Laura’s back soon hit the couch as Carmilla laid her down before she abandoned her lips and moved… to take one last garment off Laura, who lifted her hips to help and opened her eyes to meet Carmilla’s gaze as Carmilla pulled her panties off her feet and dropped them to the floor.

And without breaking their gaze, Carmilla kissed her way from Laura’s ankle to her knee to her inner thigh to where Laura needed her most.

“Carm…”

Laura closed her eyes and her hips started rocking… back… and forth… and back… and forth… and back… and forth… and back… and forth… every gasp, every moan punctuated by a few coherent words that she could string together.

“Right there…”

“Oh, God…”

“Don’t stop.”

Carmilla didn't stop. And her fingers soon joined her mouth, making Laura moan a little louder, her hips rock a little faster, and her hands grow a little more restless.

One moment they pulled on Carmilla’s hair… The next moment they clasped her arms… The next moment they clawed her shoulders… Then they gripped the couch tightly because Laura’s legs started to shake, her stomach started to tense, and Laura couldn't stop moaning and chanting.

“Carm, Carm…”

“Don't stop, don't stop…”

“So close… So close…”

Laura couldn't stop rocking against Carmilla's mouth and fingers, back and forth and back and forth, and the pleasure kept building… and building… and building…

“I’m coming. I’m coming.”

Laura moaned. And stilled. And Carmilla felt the tightening around her fingers as she kept rubbing her tongue on Laura’s clit and pumping her fingers on and on inside of her and then—

Laura arched her back and let out a long, guttural moan, pleasure exploding between her thighs and spreading throughout her body…

Laura came… and for a while, after Carmilla rested her head on Laura’s stomach and carefully pulled her fingers out of Laura, nothing moved except their chest and back rising up and down as they tried to catch their breaths… and nothing else could be heard in the room except their labored breathing…

For a while, nothing bothered Laura’s heart and mind, as if she had forgotten where she was and why she was there.

After a while, Carmilla finally moved and left a trail of kisses from Laura’s waist… to her abs… to her chest… to her neck…

Laura opened her eyes as she cupped Carmilla’s face then kissed her again…

She felt her energy coming back and couldn’t wait to take her turn and Carmilla seemed to sense it, too. So they tried to switch places on the couch with some awkward maneuvering as they kissed and turned their bodies around but all of a sudden, Carmilla tumbled down the rug on the floor, with Laura falling on top of her.

Carmilla immediately burst into laughter.

“Oh, my God, I’m so sorry! Are you hurt?” Laura asked.

Carmilla laughed again. “I’m fine.”

“No, you don’t look fine,” Laura said.

Carmilla raised her eyebrow and smirked, “Is that so?”

Laura nodded seriously then smiled, “You look gorgeous.”

“Smooth, Sundance. Smooth.”

They both laughed and kissed again.

And they never reached the bedroom.

 

***

 

After four more rounds of give and take, the two finally collapsed in a sweaty heap, hair splayed and limbs tangled.

 

***

 

Laura wasn’t surprised to find an empty apartment when she woke up the morning after.

She expected it.

But it still hurt.

 

***

 

Laura checked and double-checked if she left anything in Carmilla’s apartment—her bag, her underwear, her sanity—before heading out and locking the door.

With a heavy heart, she held her heels in her hand and went barefoot for the short walk from Carmilla’s apartment to the front door, thinking she was going to get a cab anyway.

A couple of steps left down the stairs, she saw a cab pulling up right in front of the blue door and she broke into a run just as the passenger door opened.

But when she reached for the doorknob, her eyes suddenly went wide before she slammed her back against the wall, looking absolutely petrified.

Getting out of the cab to retrieve something from the trunk was Laura—The _Other_ Laura.

“Oh, my God,” she scurried back to the second floor. “OhmyGod, ohmyGod, ohmyGod!”

Laura didn’t know what to do. She had already locked Carmilla’s apartment.

“Crap!”

She heard the front door open and felt like she had no choice but to go up, so she did. Good thing there was another floor. Only problem was, what if The Other Laura’s destination _was_ the third floor?

_Crap! There’s a rule that you shouldn’t meet your other self, right? They said so in Back to the Future!_

Could she simply stare out the window or meld with the wall or something?

The Other Laura’s footsteps resounded through the staircase and were getting closer and closer.

Even in her panic, Laura leaned over the banister, waiting for The Other Laura to appear on the steps to the third floor.

But a moment later, Laura heard a knock and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hey, it’s Laura!” The Other Laura called.

Then Laura heard a door open, followed by excited squeals and loud chatter, and then, the door shut.

Laura’s sigh of relief was short-lived. The Other Laura could be Carmilla’s new neighbor.

“Ugh… I’m doomed.”

 

***

 

Laura barged into the book shop, huffing and puffing all the way to the storage room, but stopped right in front of the door, swung it open, and shouted.

“Don’t zap me back yet!”

She waited for some form of reply but didn’t get any. She shouted again.

“Did you hear me, Library? Please don’t zap me some place else yet!”

Still, she received no reply so she entered the storage room and went straight for the lectern on the corner.

“And you,” she pointed an accusatory finger at _The Book of Answers_. “Did you know that _The Other_ Laura was moving in next to Carmilla?”

 _Yes, I did_ , it answered.

“And you didn’t bother telling me?!”

 _You didn’t ask_.

“Urgh! You didn’t think it was—oh, I don’t know— _pertinent_ information?!”

 _It was irrelevant until you decided to sleep over at Miss Karnstein’s_.

“Well, why could you not have foreseen that I would sleep with her?”

 _I cannot predict the future, Miss Hollis_.

“But you knew we were going to meet.”

 _Miss Karnstein had arranged to meet some acquaintances at the club last night,_ The Book explained _. I simply steered you in her direction. What you decided to do was entirely up to you._

Laura scrunched her face in melodramatic agony, “And I decided to sleep with her.” She face-planted on the lectern then mumbled, “What am I going to do?” Then she looked up, “I need to fix this! And you need to help me!”

 _I have it on good authority that Miss Karnstein will be back in two days,_ The Book said.

“Okay, well, that’s… helpful,” Laura said. “Where did she go?”

 _She went to her sister’s_.

“Right, of course… so you kinda know things once they’ve been… arranged?

_And once they are happening._

And we have two days?”

 _Yes._ _Where_ _would you like to start?_

Laura racked her brains for a minute or two… or five… then, it hit her.

“Surveillance,” she smiled. “Let’s start with surveillance.”

 

***

 

In two days, Laura and _The Book of Answers_ managed to: one, have an elaborate computer setup inside the storage room with two monitors and an awesome desk chair; two, hire a technician to install an audio device on Carmilla’s apartment floor; three, hack into the apartment’s surveillance system; and four, go through a box of pizza, two packs of chocolate chip cookies, and two servings of salad.

It was amazing what one could accomplish with a magical book and a seemingly unlimited amount of money.

Laura sat back, watched the monitors like a hawk, and refused to sleep until Carmilla came back to her apartment.

She felt weird the few times she saw The Other Laura, who seemed to be a more fashionable, edgier, girlier version of herself.

It was way past midnight when Carmilla finally arrived and Laura could hardly wait to find out what was in store in the coming days or what she needed to do.

 

***

 

 **DAY 1:** Nothing happened.

 

 **DAY 2:** Same.

 

 **DAY 3:** INT.  2ND FLOOR OF CARMILLA’S APARTMENT BLDG.  -  AFTERNOON

The Other Laura just entered the blue front door and was on her way up the stairs when Carmilla’s apartment door opened and out came Carmilla, who was about to put on her leather jacket.

She closed the door after putting it on and had taken a few steps before she stopped in her tracks upon seeing The Other Laura, who had reached the landing.

The Other Laura did a double-take but smiled at Carmilla then simply went on her way towards the other apartment.

CARMILLA  
You live here?

THE OTHER LAURA  
Uh… I just moved here.

The Other Laura got her keys out.

CARMILLA  
Well, you could’ve knocked on  
my door and said hi, cutie.

THE OTHER LAURA  
Excuse me?

CARMILLA  
I was wondering why you didn’t  
leave your phone number.

THE OTHER LAURA  
Uhm… Are we related?

A beat. Then Carmilla’s eyes narrowed.

CARMILLA  
You don’t remember…

THE OTHER LAURA  
What don’t I remember?

CARMILLA  
A few nights ago…

THE OTHER LAURA  
What happened?

CARMILLA  
Huh. Well, that’s a first.

Carmilla proceeded to the stairs.

THE OTHER LAURA  
A first what?  
(Carmilla ignored her so she repeated  
her question a little bit louder)  
Hey! A first what??

Carmilla stopped then turned to The Other Laura.

CARMILLA  
Seems like you don’t even  
remember my name.

THE OTHER LAURA  
And you happen to know mine?

Carmilla continued walking down the stairs again and didn’t look back.

CARMILLA  
(Drawling)  
Of course, _Laura_.

Laura stood there for a moment, with her mouth open and her eyes blinking rapidly, before going after Carmilla.

THE OTHER LAURA  
What happened a few nights ago??

Carmilla acted as if she didn’t hear and went out the door.

***

In the storage room, Laura just released the breath that she was holding and thought, _Well that wasn’t so bad… was it?_

She waited three days for that moment and was on her fourth pack of cookies but once it happened, she still couldn’t think of what do.

 

 **DAY 4:** INT.  2ND FLOOR OF CARMILLA’S APARTMENT BLDG.  -  NIGHT

The Other Laura was almost at the landing as Carmilla marched out of her apartment.

They paused when they saw each other then carried on their separate ways. But then—

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Going towards her apartment door)  
What happened a few nights ago?

CARMILLA  
(Walking)  
Wouldn’t you like to know…

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Getting her keys out, demanding)  
Why do you know my name?

CARMILLA  
(Still walking)  
You gave it to me.

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Unlocking her apartment door)  
I did not!

CARMILLA  
(Going down the stairs)  
Are you calling me a liar??

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Opening the door)  
I’ve never met you!!

CARMILLA  
(Further down the stairs, shouting)  
Whatever makes you sleep at night,  
sweetheart!

The Other Laura gestured like she wanted to strangle Carmilla before going inside her apartment.

Then she slammed the door.

***

Laura watched the whole scene with both hands covering her face, eyes seeing through the spaces between her fingers, then groaned.

Things were starting to get ugly.

 

 **DAY 5:** INT.  2ND FLOOR OF CARMILLA’S APARTMENT BLDG.  -  NIGHT

Both apartment doors opened and out walked The Other Laura and Carmilla at the same time.

They both glared when they saw each other but seemed to be rooted to their spots.

THE OTHER LAURA  
Are you still not telling me what you  
claimed happened some nights ago?

CARMILLA  
Are you still calling me a liar?

THE OTHER LAURA  
I only met you two days ago.

CARMILLA  
(Taking a step closer)  
Who’s the liar now?

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Also taking a step closer)  
I’m sure _you_ are. _You’re_ the con artist.

CARMILLA  
(Another step)  
Hypocrite.

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Another step)  
Bluffer.

CARMILLA  
(Another step)  
Denier.

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Another step)  
Opportunist.

CARMILLA  
(Closer)  
Turncoat.

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Closer)  
Inveigler.

CARMILLA  
(Raising an eyebrow)  
Oh, you think so?

The Other Laura could practically breathe down Carmilla’s neck if she wanted to.

THE OTHER LAURA  
That’s not the point.

CARMILLA  
What _is_ the point?

THE OTHER LAURA  
The point…

Carmilla raised her eyebrow again.

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Almost whispering)  
The point is… The point is I’m on to you.  
Whatever it is you’re trying to do, it’s not  
gonna happen.

They were so close they could—

CARMILLA  
(Voice low, definitely whispering)  
I’ve got news for you, Creampuff, whatever  
it is I tried to do, it already happened.

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Now whispering)  
No, it did not.

CARMILLA  
(Still whispering)  
Yes, it did.

THE OTHER LAURA  
If you’re so sure that it did, then what  
the hell happened some nights ago?

CARMILLA  
If you don’t remember, then why  
should I bother telling you?

Suddenly, the two jumped apart after hearing footsteps going down from the third floor.

Then The Other Laura gave Carmilla one more scathing look before going back to her apartment in a huff even though she was clearly about to go for a night out.

Carmilla closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose before finally leaving.

***

“Ugh, I need to do something soon,” Laura said.

If _The Book of Answers_ had a head it could shake, it would.

 

 **DAY 6:** INT.  2ND FLOOR OF CARMILLA’S APARTMENT BLDG.  -  NIGHT

The Other Laura got out of her apartment and immediately turned her head towards Carmilla’s door. But there was no Carmilla in sight.

She slowly turned her head towards the stairs. There were no footsteps, no sound of the front door opening and closing.

She exhaled… then took her time to go downstairs and out the door.

CUT TO:

The Other Laura returned, carrying a grocery bag.

She kept looking up as she went up the stairs.

But there was no one there.

***

Laura abruptly got out of her chair. “Okay, that’s it. I need to do something.” Then she started pacing around the room.

 

 **DAY 7:** Laura waited until all the second floor residents of 24 Hard-to-pronounce-and-spell Street had left the building, with knowledge of their exact whereabouts right at that moment courtesy of _The Book of Ans_ wers to give her an idea how much time she had, before she got into a cab, snuck in there, and inserted a note through the door to The Other Laura’s apartment.

***

INT.  2ND FLOOR OF CARMILLA’S APARTMENT BLDG.  -  AFTERNOON

The Other Laura immediately noticed the note on the floor when she opened the door, picked it up, looked around, found no one there, and went inside.

 

 **DAY 8:** INT.  2ND FLOOR OF CARMILLA’S APARTMENT BLDG.  -  AFTERNOON

The Other Laura had been standing outside her apartment for a couple of minutes, holding a pack of cookies, when Carmilla emerged from her apartment.

The Other Laura immediately offered a very sweet smile and Carmilla approached her warily.

CARMILLA  
What have you got there, Cupcake?

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Beaming)  
Cookie.

CARMILLA  
A bribe?

THE OTHER LAURA  
A peace offering.

The Other Laura opened the pack and offered it to Carmilla.

CARMILLA  
Coaxing by chocolate?

THE OTHER LAURA  
What? No! There is no coaxing—  
There is an absence of coaxing.

CARMILLA  
Whatever you say, cutie.

THE OTHER LAURA  
I was just thinking… since we got off to  
such a… rough start as neighbors that I  
could… extend an olive branch and we  
could, you know, start over?

Carmilla didn’t say anything so Laura extended a hand for her to shake.

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Smiling)  
Hello, I’m Laura. My cousin told me  
you’re Carmilla, my new neighbor.

CARMILLA  
Did she, now?

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Ignoring Carmilla’s sarcasm)  
It’s a pleasure to meet you.

Carmilla looked down at Laura’s hand, seemed to hesitate a bit, but a second later, she finally reached out and shook Laura’s hand.

CARMILLA  
(Smirking)  
The pleasure is mine.

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Offering the pack again)  
Cookie?

CARMILLA  
(Still smirking, it’s disturbing)  
Why, thank you, Pop-tart.

The Other Laura rolled her eyes and stifled a giggle. Then Carmilla laid it on thick when getting a cookie… bringing it to her mouth… taking a bite… and chewing…

They stayed silent for a while… until Carmilla swallowed the cookie bite she was chewing and licked her lips.

THE OTHER LAURA  
S-so how’s the cookie?

CARMILLA  
(Dropping her voice dangerously low)  
It’s so delicious I could eat it _all_. _night_.

The Other Laura blushed a little but recovered quickly.

THE OTHER LAURA  
Terrific!

Carmilla’s nostrils flared a little.

CARMILLA  
Did you really think this little charade  
of yours will get me to fess up about  
what happened between us?

The Other Laura’s jaw dropped in outrage.

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Gesturing between the two of them)  
There is no “between us!” And I am  
_not_ pretending—

CARMILLA  
Clearly.

THE OTHER LAURA  
You’re the one who’s bluffing! For all I  
know this is all just an elaborate prank.

CARMILLA  
Do you really want to know?

THE OTHER LAURA  
Are you going to tell me?

CARMILLA  
(Smirking again)  
Maybe…

Carmilla grabbed another cookie and then walked away.

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Throwing her arms up in frustration)  
Ugh!

***

Later that evening, Laura snuck into the building again and slipped another note beneath the door to The Other Laura’s apartment.

 

 **DAY 9** : INT.  THE STAIRS TO THE 2ND FLOOR OF CARMILLA’S APARTMENT BLDG.  -  NIGHT

The Other Laura entered the apartment building just as Carmilla was heading down the stairs. She noticed Carmilla for sure but refused to make eye contact as she went up the stairs.

She had passed Carmilla a few steps when she suddenly turned around and shouted.

THE OTHER LAURA  
If you still don’t want to tell me  
what happened, then fine!

Then The Other Laura stomped all the way up the stairs leaving Carmilla stunned for a brief moment before recovering, The Other Laura already out of sight, and belatedly shouting back.

CARMILLA  
Fine!

Then Carmilla grumbled incoherently all the way out.

***

Laura grinned at the screen as she whispered, “Atta girl…”

 

 **DAY 10:** EXT.  BY THE BLUE DOOR OF 24 HARD-TO-PRONOUNCE-AND-SPELL STREET  -  NIGHT

The Other Laura had just got out of a cab and was scurrying towards the blue door when she almost collided with Carmilla, who was also on her way to the door.

Neither one said anything nor moved except for The Other Laura crossing her arms over her chest.

A minute or two passed with the two of them silently bickering and scowling— _You go first_ — _No, you go first_ —before Carmilla reached out to the keypad, without taking her eyes off The Other Laura, and tapped in the code.

The door opened and she held it open for Laura, smirking and gesturing with her hand then speaking in a very sultry voice.

CARMILLA  
After you, my lady.

The Other Laura huffed and puffed all the way to her apartment.

***

“Hey, Book,” Laura said to _The Book of Answers_ , now perched on a desktop book stand beside the monitors. “I didn’t notice when I was in her apartment but does Carmilla have a laptop or a computer?”

 _Yes, she does_ , it answered.

“Okay, well, how hard will it be to hack into her computer?”

 _Since you’ve got me_ , it said, _it won’t be hard at all_.

 

 **DAY 11:** INT.  2ND FLOOR OF CARMILLA’S APARTMENT BLDG.  -  NIGHT

The Other Laura had just reached the landing when Carmilla’s apartment door suddenly opened and out came Carmilla in stiletto ankle boots, leather pants, and a corset—a sinfully sexy all-black number that stopped The Other Laura dead in her tracks.

She was completely and utterly ogling Carmilla, who was strutting towards her, hips swaying exquisitely with each step, the smirk on her face turning positively evil.

Carmilla stopped in front of The Other Laura, pulled out a small handkerchief from her bosom, folded it into a triangle, and gently dabbed the corner of The Other Laura’s mouth before giving her the handkerchief and speaking in that sultry voice again.

CARMILLA  
Here, Cupcake. Take this, in case  
you drool again.

Then she ostentatiously swept her hair to the side, giving The Other Laura an unencumbered view of the length of her neck, her collarbone, and her shoulder, before walking away and giving The Other Laura a glorious view of her shimmying ass.

***

“Wow,” Laura said breathlessly. “Score one for Carmilla…”

 

 **DAY 12:** INT.  THE STAIRS TO THE 2ND FLOOR OF CARMILLA’S APARTMENT BLDG.  -  NIGHT

Carmilla rushed out of her apartment, wearing the outfit she wore the night she met Laura in the club, but didn’t go far from her door. She first primped her hair and fixed her clothes a little before she sauntered to the stairs—the same moment The Other Laura entered the blue front door.

They locked eyes as Carmilla went down and The Other Laura went up the stairs.

They were almost meeting halfway—just a step between them—when The Other Laura blocked Carmilla’s path with one hand on the banister and the other on the wall.

CARMILLA  
What now?

THE OTHER LAURA  
I’m not letting you through unless  
you tell me what happened.

CARMILLA  
Seriously?

THE OTHER LAURA  
Tell me.

Without breaking their gaze, Carmilla took a step forward. The Other Laura didn’t move.

Then Carmilla took another step and The Other Laura had to yield. But instead of heading straight to the front door, Carmilla turned towards The Other Laura and took another step… then another step…

The Other Laura backed away until her back hit the wall and Carmilla put her palms flat against the wall, on either side of The Other Laura's head, then leaned in.

They spoke in hushed voices.

CARMILLA  
Why should I tell you?

THE OTHER LAURA  
I need to know.

CARMILLA  
As if you don’t already know—

THE OTHER LAURA  
I don’t.

CARMILLA  
As if you don't have any idea…

THE OTHER LAURA  
Okay, so maybe I have an inkling based  
on what you’ve implied.

CARMILLA  
(Raising an eyebrow)  
And you need to hear it out loud?

THE OTHER LAURA  
It’s just _impossible_. I wouldn’t be surprised  
to hear that it's all just a prank—

CARMILLA  
We _slept_ together.

The Other Laura was speechless.

CARMILLA  
Don’t act so surprised.

THE OTHER LAURA  
I would’ve remembered…

CARMILLA  
That’s what _I_ thought. And yet, here  
we are.

THE OTHER LAURA  
I didn’t sleep with you.

CARMILLA  
Maybe you should do it again to  
refresh your memory.

THE OTHER LAURA  
That’s not even funny.

CARMILLA  
I know you want to.

Seconds passed by with Carmilla smirking before The Other Laura finally murmured back.

THE OTHER LAURA  
If that's your A game, try harder.

The Other Laura tried to look haughty but Carmilla just smirked a little bit more and leaned in a little bit closer.

CARMILLA  
I’m sure you’d love to see that… Too  
bad there’s somewhere else I’d have  
to be tonight, so I guess you’ll just  
have to wait a little bit… longer…

Then she left…

And The Other Laura just stood there, leaning her back and head against the wall, eyes closed and chest heaving, lamenting.

THE OTHER LAURA  
Worst. Crush. Everrr.

***

“Ohhh, I know, I know…” Laura said to The Other Laura through the screen, trying to console her. “I’m sorry I screwed it up for you.” Then in an embarrassed tone, “I’m sorry I screwed her for you—Ugh!”

She scrunched her face and face-planted on the desk before she resurfaced with a fake smile on her face.

“No, no, it’ll all work out,” she said, trying to convince herself. “Everything will pan out. It has to…”

 

 **DAY 13:** INT.  THE STAIRS TO THE 2ND FLOOR OF CARMILLA’S APARTMENT BLDG.  -  MORNING

Carmilla walked through the blue door, with sunglasses on, looking like she got so wasted the night before, the same moment that The Other Laura was heading downstairs.

CARMILLA  
(Slurring slightly)  
Still in denial?

THE OTHER LAURA  
I did not sleep with you!

CARMILLA  
Not last night, you didn’t.

***

“Carmilla, how could you?!” Laura shouted at the screen but noticed new text on _The Book of Answers_.

 _Miss Karnstein is lying,_ it said.

“She is?”

_Yes._

“Oh,” was all Laura could say until her eyes widened. “ _Oh…_ ” Then another thought occurred to her. “Will it be just as easy to hack into The Other Laura’s computer as Carm’s?”

 _Absolutely,_ The Book said. _Will you also be giving her the surveillance feeds?_

“No, not that,” Laura said. “I actually just want to be able to talk to her anonymously, like, through an instant messenger or something… when the moment presents itself.”

 _That would be different, Miss Hollis,_ The Book said, _but, I daresay, just as exciting._

 

 **DAY 14:** INT.  2ND FLOOR OF CARMILLA’S APARTMENT BLDG.  -  NIGHT

The Other Laura had just reached the landing when Carmilla walked out of her apartment in knee high boots, really short black shorts, and a see-through white top, showing her black bra.

The Other Laura did another double-take but immediately looked away and hurried to her apartment.

CARMILLA  
You know denial ain’t just a river  
in Egypt, right?

THE OTHER LAURA  
For the nth time, I did not sleep  
with you!!

CARMILLA  
You’ll get tired of saying that soon  
enough.

THE OTHER LAURA  
I won’t!

 

 **DAY 15:** INT.  2ND FLOOR OF CARMILLA’S APARTMENT BLDG.  -  AFTERNOON

The Other Laura stumbled upon Carmilla as she reached the landing and shouted before Carmilla could get a word out.

THE OTHER LAURA  
I did not sleep with you!

CARMILLA  
(Calmly)  
You told me I looked gorgeous.

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Hesitating)  
O-okay. Fine. You are. But it doesn’t  
mean I said it before and it certainly  
doesn’t mean I slept with you!

Then she took off for her door just as Carmilla started singing.

CARMILLA  
_You think I’m gorgeous… You want_  
_to kiss me… You want to hug me…_  
_You want to looove me…_

The Other Laura snarled before she slammed the door.

 

 **DAY 16:** INT.  THE STAIRS TO THE 2ND FLOOR OF CARMILLA’S APARTMENT BLDG.  -  AFTERNOON

The Other Laura was going up while Carmilla was going down.

THE OTHER LAURA  
I did not sleep with you.

CARMILLA  
(Dropping her voice dangerously low again)  
I made you come _five_. _times_.

Then Carmilla left and The Other Laura released the breath that she was holding and whimpered.

***

Laura typed on the keyboard furiously as she got instructions from _The Book of Answers_.

 

 **DAY 17:** INT.  2ND FLOOR OF CARMILLA’S APARTMENT BLDG.  -  NIGHT

Carmilla came out of her apartment and leaned sideways on the wall beside her door, with her arms crossed over her chest, just before The Other Laura had reached the landing.

And when The Other Laura saw her standing there, looking so cool and achingly gorgeous, The Other Laura just sighed—partly because she was annoyed but mainly because of other things. She immediately looked away and walked slowly to her door.

Carmilla didn’t move or say anything. She simply watched The Other Laura as she walked… got her keys out… inserted the right key to her door… and stopped moving altogether.

The Other Laura stood still for a moment or two before she sighed again and spoke softly, with her head bowed and her eyes trained at her feet.

THE OTHER LAURA  
I really don’t remember sleeping with  
you.

Carmilla surprisingly spoke to her just as softly.

CARMILLA  
We had a glorious night, Creampuff.

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Smiling faintly)  
That’s not so hard to believe _if_ , you  
know, it actually happened.

Carmilla strolled towards The Other Laura.

CARMILLA  
As I recall, you were very real that  
night… and quite vocal, too.

THE OTHER LAURA  
(Blushing)  
That must’ve been some night…

CARMILLA  
Oh, it was. We didn’t even make it  
to the bedroom.

THE OTHER LAURA  
That could’ve been me. But…

CARMILLA  
But what?

THE OTHER LAURA  
I’m pretty sure it was someone else.

CARMILLA  
How can you be so sure?

THE OTHER LAURA  
Because…  
(Finally turning towards Carmilla)  
I would’ve remembered…

Carmilla didn’t have a comeback and just stood closely beside The Other Laura, who continued…

THE OTHER LAURA  
If I don’t remember, then it probably  
didn’t happen—not to me anyway…

CARMILLA  
I remembered though… I remembered  
a lot of things… You kissed me like you  
knew me.

For a moment, they just stared at each other, unmoving, until The Other Laura spoke again.

THE OTHER LAURA  
If I… If I kiss you now but it’s not the  
way you remembered, will you admit  
that I’m right—that it wasn’t me?

CARMILLA  
And if you do?

THE OTHER LAURA  
Will you accept my apology for not  
remembering?

The Other Laura raised her head high in defiance as she waited for Carmilla to make a move.

***

“Kiss her,” Laura hissed at the screen. “Kiss her!” She watched the screen with bated breath. “KISS HER!!!”

And then—

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Carmilla kissed The Other Laura.

They kissed and Laura started rejoicing. And her celebration would've been way funnier if it were in slow motion: Laura kissing the screen… Laura fist-pumping on top of the chair… Laura hugging a tower of books… Laura throwing confetti…

She didn’t hear The Other Laura asking, “I’m right, aren’t I?” Nor did she hear Carmilla’s reply. She only saw that they were still kissing as they made their way into Carmilla’s apartment and closed the door.

“Book,” Laura said excitedly, “I think I know what I should do!”

If _The Book of Answers_ could have groaned, it would have.

“I’m gonna make all the other Lauras and Carmillas meet and fall in love _in_. _every_. _universe_!”

 _Oh, joy_.

Laura had found a new crusade to be on.

 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my beta readers, mjacton and lucianafromnaples, for being patient with me with this chapter and thanks to you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it but I am sorry in advance because I am a slow writer and it will take a while before the next chapter gets posted. I hope you'll come back to read when it does. :)


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